December 06, 2015

Ex-hasid Matisyahu is slated to perform Friday December 25 at 8:00 pm – on Shabbat. This may be the first time Matisyahu has publicly broken Shabbat in his professional role in NYC since he left Orthodoxy.

August 21, 2015

Matisyahu's appearance at the Rototom SunSplash festival was cancelled early this week after the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement (BDS) threatened to disrupt the festival if Matisyahu – who is not Israeli – was allowed to perform without first issuing a declaration in support of a Palestinian state.

December 30, 2011

When a high-profile individual publicly departs from a community, it should be used as an opportunity for introspection on behalf of community leaders and members. The first question such leaders should ask themselves is why they need to attach such massive importance to externalities and communal rules.

June 23, 2010

Jewish reggae star Matisyahu has sent an urgent letter on PETA's behalf to Israeli government leaders urging them to support a bill currently in the Knesset that would ban the fur trade in Israel. If the bill passes, Israel will be the first country to prohibit the production, sale, and importation of all fur products (with the exception of shtreimels, traditional fur hats worn by some Hasidim).

October 09, 2007

"I am no longer identified with Chabad. Today, it's more important to me to connect to a universal
message. While they were playing on stage and I closed my eyes, I was
thinking that what we do is not at all about Judaism and not about
Chabad. It's much bigger than one religion or another. It relies on
something real that can speak to anybody. It's about truth and memory."

What his friends say:

…Two of Matisyahu's friends live in an apartment in
Nahlaot with two framed pictures of Bob Marley and the Baba Sali, a
Moroccan Jewish sage, hanging side by side. Matisyahu's friends
introduce these sources of inspiration as "The Bob and the Baba." Many
members of their community of American immigrants sheared off several
kilos of dreadlocks in their path to spiritual redemption. One of them
saved two dreadlocks as a tribute to his former membership in Seattle's
reggae community. They hang from his temples beside a traditional pair
of payot. "Matisyahu encountered a form of Judaism here that spoke to him. It
was new to him and I think he liked the fact that you don't have to
surrender your original sources of inspiration," they said. "There were
Chabad rabbis who supported him at first but, recently, they've
criticized him for continuing to appear in front of an audience of men
and women and also in front of non-Jews. It's important to Matisyahu to
appear before non-Jews. The advantage of Bratslav is that it's less
centralized, there isn't one rabbi, and it speaks more to the soul." Chabad and its deceased leader, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, have greatly
defined Matisyahu's identity and he has mentioned them in an endless
number of shows and interviews. Although he was not an official
representative of the movement, he was invited to appear at their
conferences. His friends say that he has remained a pious Jew and that
he bears no animosity toward Chabad. They say he has no intention of
switching the Chabad Lubavitch flag for the flag of the Bratslav
Hasidic movement and "is actually searching for freedom from a
pronounced identification with one specific group." …

And how does [Matisyahu's close friend, Saxophonist Daniel] Zamir, who was attracted to Chabad
because of Matisyahu, respond? "I respect it, but I have remained
absolutely attached to Chabad. I hold a truth in my soul. It is a
powerful blessing. When I am on stage, it is important to me that a Jew
connect to his own soul. I see that as a beautiful thing. Long live the
King Messiah [a reference to the Lubavitcher Rebbe]."

What Chabad says:

…"It is as convenient for Chabad as it is for
Matisyahu," comments a senior Chabad member in response to Matisyahu's
new religious orientation. "Matisyahu was never a part of the
movement's conventional line. It's possible that he felt that his
membership in Chabad caused him to be scrutinized. He may have received
a negative comment here or there within the Hasidic movement, and,
perhaps, he felt limited. I do not believe that this was caused by his
appearance before a mixed audience, because [international, Chabad
singing star] Avraham Fried appears before women as well. This is a
case of an inflamed audience in nightclubs and discotheques where
Matisyahu gets boys and girls dancing."…

Here's what I think this all means.:

Matisyahu is an opportunist. He traded on Chabad's name and it's PR to propel his rise to the top.

Now that he's up there, he doesn't really need Chabad anymore.

Being Orthodox requires observing certain strictures. Encouraging mixed mosh pit dancing would be one of those.

So Matisyahu dumps Chabad just like he dumped JDub Records, the small Jewish-owned nonprofit lable that made him a star.

For its part, Chabad used Matisyahu. It pimped him to get media attention and increase donations.

But pimping a man who, for all his good points still does things in every performance that no real posek, haredi, Chabad or Modern Orthodox, would ever allow caused problems, both internal and external, for Chabad.

Why? Because Matisyahu was a poseur all along. It's not that he doesn't feel some connection to Judaism or hasidut – it's that he set out to use that connection for his own personal gain, to help him stand out from the crowd and get noticed. His kapote and fedora-wearing stage costume was just that – a costume. And when one costume gets old, he'll find another.

A couple of months ago a ran into the wife of a senior Chabad emissary. She mentioned Matisyahu. I told her the Rebbe never would have allowed Chabad to be used that way and that Matisyahu did things every performance that the Rebbe absolutely opposed. I also mention Chabad pro-boxer Dmitry Salita in this regard, especially the crowds of bochrim (yeshiva students) attending his fights and hanging out while bikini-clad ring card girls parade in a few feet in front of them.

What was her response? She said she agreed, but times had changed. And so they have.

March 30, 2006

This week's David Klinghoffer's Forward column The Disputation deals with the Matisyahu issue and with Chabad in general. Here, for my money (and ego) is the money quote:

For centuries, the role of the Jewish people as a "kingdom of priests"
(Exodus 19:6) calling humanity to the worship of the one God was
suspended. In our day, thanks to the growing interest of non-Jews in
Judaism, that has started to change. Matisyahu may be the best example
of a Jew ministering in this priestly role on a mass scale. His
efforts, however, have won him Jewish detractors, who prefer that Jews
remain anonymous or irrelevant.

Take, for example, the sniping from the peanut gallery coming out of
the consistently sour but readable blog FailedMessiah.com: "What
Matisyahu does is unseemly. Few, if any, significant poskim (rabbinic legal scholars who rule on Halacha) would approve. But what bothers me more is blatant trading on Kaballah and Hasidut to
make money. That this does not bother mainstream Chabad may be because
this is what mainstream Chabad has itself done for years."

Indeed, Chabad's efforts have earned the movement its share of enemies.
The rabbi at the Reform temple where I grew up used to speak out
against the local Chabad emissary; the competition made him nervous.
And in the Orthodox world, a few can't forget the imbroglio in the
1990s in which some followers of Chabad's late spiritual leader, the
Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Schneerson, let it be known that they
expected he would return and reveal himself as the Messiah. Thankfully,
that fever dream has subsided.…

I thank Klinghoffer for quoting me. Still, Klinghoffer is wrong on many counts:

I am certainly not opposed to Jews being a light onto the nations in an active fashion. What I and many other critics of Matisyahu are concerned about has been clearly stated on this blog. Being a light onto the nations or a need to remain "under the radar screen" is not one of them.

Klinghoffer ignores the fact that poskim do not allow what Matisyahu does, and that poskim from Chabad, while the Rebbe was alive, told musicians they could not do what Matisyahu is now doing.

Messianism has not gone away, as even any casual observer of Chabad knows, It is dominant in Israel, France, the FSU, and in Crown Heights. Matisyahu himself is a messianist.

Klinghoffer brushes away these facts just as he brushes away Marvin Schick's concern about the lessening religious standards in Chabad, something there is much proof for. He also makes it appear as if Schick is an enemy of Chabad, something that is absolutely false – although, to be fair, Klinghoffer may not know this.

How can Klinghoffer make claims that disregard fact? I'll give you my personal answer. Klinghoffer is a devotee of Rabbi Daniel Lapin, the maverick Orthodox rabbi shunned by many in mainstream Modern Orthodoxy and by most in the haredi world. Lapin has made a career (outside of his business involvements, which have been, in some cases, highly questionable from a legal standpoint) of supporting right wing political causes (he is one of Jack Abramoff's rabbis) and of "kashering" the religious and extremist right*. To do this, one needs to adopt an ends justify the means theology, which is just what Lapin has done. And this theology drives his disciples, as well.

Several years ago, WorldVision launched a campaign to aid those hurt by suicide bombing and terrorist attacks in Israel. The radio commercial had bombs exploding, sirens wailing. Where was the money going? To the West Bank and Gaza, and only to Arabs. I asked WorldVision why. A spokesperson responded by saying (I paraphrase) that WorldVision helps the most at need. Jews can take care of themselves. The Arabs cannot. I asked about the morality of using terror attacks against Jews to raise money for Arabs. Terror hurts both sides, was the response.

The Salem Radio Network had a joint campaign with WorldVision to fund this very project. Ads for it ran during both the Dennis Prager and Michael Medved shows. In effect, both shows raised money for the extended families of suicide bombers. I contacted both hosts and explained the problem. Both wanted details that involved many hours of research. I did that research (without pay) and sent the information to Prager and Medved. Prager** banned all ads for that WorldVision campaign from running during his show. But what did Medved, whose rabbi-guru is Lapin, do? He increased the ads and began endorsing that very WorldVision project. Why?

I believe for the same reason Klinghoffer can so easily ignore fact. The ends justify the means.*** It wasn't worth damaging his (and Lapin's) relationship with the evangelical-owned and operated Salem radio over the WorldVision project, especially because WorldVision is a major powerhouse in the evangelical world and is, not surprisingly, a major advertiser on Salem stations.

Klinghoffer is a follower of Lapin. To the extent that his article reflects that relationship, it is Lapin – and his theology – that is to blame. The same is true for Medved and WorldVision.

If well-meaning Chabad supporters would focus on keeping Chabad within halakha, instead of kashering every instance of deviation from it, Chabad would be in much better shape, and blogs like Failedmessiah.com would not need to exist.~~~~~~~~~~~~~*Evangelical and other Christian Fundamentalist theology, as it impacts the public square, is not necessarily incompatible with Judaism any more than it is automatically compatible. For example, while Judaism frowns on abortion, it does not ban abortion outright and allows (and sometimes mandates!) abortion for a host of reasons related to the physical and mental health of the mother. This is why many poskim (like some of those ignored by Klinghoffer) do not support the anti-abortion movement. Lapin goes beyond this position to, in effect, kasher all but the most blatantly anti-Jewish positions of evangelicals.

**Yes, it is true that Prager is also a supporter of Chabad. But Prager is not Orthodox, and his views on halakha are not close to Orthodoxy's.

***By ends in this case I mean ideological ends, not financial gain. In other words, in this case the ends are "ohr lagoyyim" and the means, Matisyahu and Chabad. Rabbi Lapin considers ohr lagoyyim to be a cornerstone of his public work and ideology/theology.

March 17, 2006

The Algemeiner Journal, a Chabad mouthpiece published in Brooklyn, has a piece written by a Chabad shaliach, Rabbi Levi Brackman, defending Matisyahu:

… There
is a fundamental difference between the Kabbalistic and the
non-Kabbalistic views of Judaism. Up until the French Revolution in
1789, society was divided into three groups: the church, the
aristocracy and the peasants. In the terminology of the post-modern
French philosopher Jacques Derrida (1930-2004), the landowners and the
church were the centre and the peasants were the periphery. The two did
not mix. Education, money and power were restricted to the elite; the
peasants enjoyed no such privileges. After the French Revolution, the
periphery was also given some of the privileges that were previously
the exclusive right of the centre. With this came the emancipation of
the Jews. Although the landowners and the educated were still regarded
as the centre, the difference now was that peasants had the possibility
of entering this exclusive domain.

The
post-modern era, according to Derrida, was a time of “deconstruction.”
All things were seen in pairs, one superior to the other: rich and
poor, educated and ignorant, powerful and powerless, etc. The
deconstructivist view is that rich is not necessarily superior to poor,
in fact, being poor can be more advantageous. Seen from this
perspective, poor is the new centre and rich is the periphery. Derrida
goes one step further and says that hierarchy should not exist at all;
rather, all boundaries between centre and periphery should be
deconstructed [1].

Western
society is a deconstructed civilization in many ways. Whereas in the
past women were seen as inferior, today they are often regarded as
superior to men. Similarly, modern human rights laws have ensured that
the views of vulnerable minorities are respected and listened to.

Non-Kabbalistic
Judaism, in general, does not deconstruct boundaries. According to this
school of thought, the centre should be distinct from the periphery.
Here we have the concept of ‘enclave Judaism,’ which clearly marks out
the boundaries between the holy and the profane. The fact that this
type of Judaism disagrees with Matisyahu’s style of music and choice of
audience is no surprise, for it regards the mixing of the centre with
the periphery as an obvious desecration of G-d’s name.

The
Kabbalah as interpreted by many Chassidic schools, however, adds a
deconstructive element to Judaism. To be sure, Kabbalah (Jewish
mysticism) and Halacah (Jewish law) are two parts of a single Torah,
mirroring each other in perfect seamlessness, like a body mirroring a
soul. Halacah is the pragmatic counterpart of mystical Kabbalah. The
authentic masters of Kabbalah and Chassidism were great masters of
Halacah as well and saw halachic boundaries not as limitating, but as
structural patterns reflecting the energy zones of life and the cosmos.
Yet within the halachik system itself, the Kabbalists revealed a new
light, often one that deconstructs bouandries, merging the finite and
the infinite in an extraprdinary fashion.

The
Kabbalah teaches, for example, that in the messianic epoch women will
be perceivably greater than men, because inherently feminine energy is
superior to masculine energy. The Kabbalah also deconstructs the
boundaries between the physical and the spiritual. Whereas
non-Kabbalistic Judaism holds spirituality superior to physicality, the
Kabbalah maintains that in the final analysis the physical is more
potent, the body deeper than the soul.

The
principle is simple: the higher the source the lower it reaches. Esau
is thus seen as having a higher spiritual antecedent than Jacob. One
who meditates may reach lofty spiritual heights; however, the essence
of G-d will remain elusive. Ironically, Kabbalah teaches that the only
way one can connect to the Divine essence is through the physical.
Spiritual levels are by definition constantly cognizant of their
dependency on their sources. Conversely, physical objects project auras
of egocentricity – they seem to depend on nothing other than themselves
for their existence. This aura is, in a sense, parallel with the nature
of the Divine essence whose existence is truly independent [2].
According to the Kabbalists, the ex nihilo nature of the creation of
the physical universe necessitates direct intervention of the Divine
essence. It is this intervention that allowed the physical to assume
its egocentric aura. Thus, there is a unique similarity – at least in
terms of language – and connection between the physical and the Divine
essence [3].

This
sheds light on the Jewish phenomena of Mitzvoth, which are mainly
physical acts rather than mystical meditations. It is precisely through
the physical act of a Mitzvah that the most profound connection with
the Divine is forged. In fact, according to a Midrash [4] – adopted by
the Kabbalists – the purpose of creation was for humans to unveil the
Divine essence found in those parts of the universe which are most
devoid of G-dliness [5]. This stresses the inherent value of the
mundane and unrefined aspects of the universe – where the mission is
most intense [6].

This
completely deconstructs the boundaries. What was once the centre –
without the Kabbalistic explanation – can now be seen as the periphery
and vice versa [7]. Thus, by bringing a G-dly message to the intensely
profane one in a sense is fulfilling the purpose of creation in the
most profound manner possible. Indeed it is this ideology that has
caused me to choose to live in secular Evergreen, Colorado rather than
in a Chasidic enclave of Brooklyn, New York.

By
his own admission, Matisyahu is being guided by the Chabad School of
Kabbalistic thought. Thus, as long as he adheres to Jewish law and does
not get carried away with stardom and the narcissistic celebrity
culture of modern-day America, his music may be considered, in my
opinion, a sanctification of G-d’s name.

~~~~~~~

[1]
See Jacques Derrida, Of Grammatology, John Hopkins, (1976). [2] See
Maimonides, Hilchos Daeos, 1:3. [3] For a more in-depth analysis of
post-modern parallels with the Chassidic School of Kabbalistic thought,
see Naftali Loewenthal’s forthcoming article, “Jewish Mysticism in a
World of Change: Pre-Modern, Modern and Post- Modern Perspectives,”
which in part inspired this article. [4] Bamidbar Rabba, 13:6. This
Midrash was quoted most frequently by the seventh Lubavicher Rebbe,
Rabbi Menachem M. Schneersohn. [4] For a complete treatise on this
subject see Faitel Levin, Heaven on Earth, Kehot Publication Society
(2002). [5] Inherent in deconstructing boundaries is the danger of
losing all sense of limits, and thus raising the possibility of further
concealing the Divine essence. To forestall this possibility the
Halacha (Jewish law) must be steadfastly adhered to at all times.

This is the same argument made by the followers of Shabbatai Tsvi and the Frankists to defend their heresies. While Judaism has, in more recent times, had a concept of descent for the purpose of (later) ascent, this never entailed the intentional descent into base physicality or sin – except in the theology of the Sabbatians and Frankists. As for the rest of Rabbi Brackman's hogwash about deconstuction and halakha, the theology Rabbi Brackman represents is not Jewish – at least not Jewish in a way Jewish legal scholars for millenia would recognize or endorse. And that speaks volumes about today's Chabad and its minstrel prophet, Matisyahu.

The Jewish Week has an article about the racial controversy surrounding Matisyahu. I've made the point before that much of this idea that Matis is being singled out for approbation because he is white is foolish. He's being singled out because, for the last 100 years, white artists have taken black artists' songs and released them to white audiences – often without acknowledgment. For much of this time, these black artists were denied both public acclaim and money, while the Pat Boones of the world became rich and famous at their expense.

If Matisyahu were a more substantial act, and if Matis was generous to those black artists he mimics, perhaps things would be different – but Matisyahu is not generous in this regard, and his act is far from substantial.

This history is largely ignored by those who attack Matisyahu's critics.

The Jewish Week quotes Murray Forman, a professor of communication studies at Northeastern University who has written extensively about reggae and hip-hop:

But, Forman added, no discussion of Matisyahu — or any other artist, for that matter — would be complete without mention of a social force mightier than race and religion combined: money.

“At some point we also have to recognize that Matisyahu is also a product of culture industries,” he said. “Not only he benefits from adopting reggae, but the music industry benefits as well.”

In Matisyahu, he said, the industry found an unlikely and attractive musical vehicle, one that could deliver reggae music to an audience, predominantly white, that would otherwise have most likely remained uninterested.

“Matisyahu is being promoted and marketed to a particular audience,” Forman said. “There’s an industry alongside this that says this is where we’ll meet the largest audience and generate the greatest revenue. And I think it’s folly for anybody to overlook the industrial role here.”

As proof of sorts, Forman mentioned that the industry itself refrained from labeling Matisyahu’s music as reggae. His albums are listed under the “Alternative” category on iTunes, and “King Without a Crown,” his biggest hit, reached No. 7 on Billboard’s rock chart, and not the R&B and hip-hop chart, which monitors reggae musicians as well.

To be sure, other artists who have begun as marketing schemes have since risen to prominence. Eminem, to cite the best example, got his first break for being the first white rapper, became successful for appealing to a large white audience otherwise indifferent to hip-hop and went on to become one of the genre’s most esteemed musicians, regardless of skin color.

Given the recent ride he’s on, Matisyahu may be moving in that direction. But Forman is skeptical.

“Eminem is a superior rhyme artist, he’s a skilled producer, he can freestyle, and his style is quite literally unparalleled,” Forman said. “He’s much better than Matisyahu is in his respective category. Matisyahu will never be at the top of the reggae skill chart. He’ll never trump even half of the artists we haven’t even heard of. He is not a superior artist.”

March 09, 2006

But though the mood strove for the euphoric, and though the north-of-college-age crowd were rapt participants, the evening was hampered by a nagging musical flatness.

Because he employed only a sparse trio of guitar, bass and drums, the greater part of the burden fell on Matisyahu's voice. And sadly, he wasn't always up for the challenge. He struggled to hit the high notes in "Fire of Heaven/Altar of Earth" and failed to convincingly sell the clunky love song "Unique Is My Dove." Trickier still were the up-tempo numbers. Matisyahu has a nimble tongue and a fondness for speedy, tongue-twisting runs, but he has a tendency to hit the syllables like an understudy nailing his marks: with precision, but without any real sense of ownership. More troublesome is his insistence on employing a fake Jamaican patois, a device that only emphasizes that he is not from Kingston. Lacking the gruffness of dance-hall giant Elephant Man or the sweetness of reggae vocalist Sugar Minott, Matisyahu mostly comes off as a well-meaning mimic.

The same goes for his band who, while certainly proficient, were prone to bouts of unnecessary showiness. Their attempt to append a dub break to the end of "Exaltation" was listless and forced, and their occasional detours into meandering jams (the most unbearable of which ended in a drum solo) were ill-advised. In the end, the songs felt strangely starched, aping reggae's cadence and loping bass lines but lacking all of its glorious dankness and mystery.

The moments when things did lock into place were genuinely exciting. In "Jerusalem," while the group worked a slow, surging groove, Matisyahu's voice fit snugly between the whirring of bass and drums. "Close My Eyes" built to a gloriously frenzied conclusion, with the band consumed by a manic, frenzied jam and Matisyahu spinning giddily on one foot, grinning and raising his hands to the sky. If he can only figure a way to funnel that ecstatic personality into his songs, he might be onto something.

"Youth" might be refreshing, even inspiring, if Matisyahu's delivery
made up for his material. But his voice is reedy and strained, and his
accent shifts from Caribbean to Hebrew to generic American with no
discernible connection to the songs.

The band wanders out of reggae syncopation into rock with a similar
lack of purpose. It feels like a preppy band that got through college
on drugs and audience indulgence before finding religion. Matisyahu's
faith is his business, but comparisons to the spirituality of a Bob
Marley -- one magazine, hopefully in jest, quizzes readers to
distinguish between the lyrics of the two -- are a wee bit premature.

The New York Post has an interview (via CrownHeights.info) with Matisyahu. The Post, not known for a stong arts section, appears to love him. Not so with Rolling Stone, which just trashed Matisyahu's second album this way:

The whirlwind of attention surrounding twenty-six-year-old Matthew
Miller -- better known as the reggae newcomer Matisyahu -- can
partly be attributed to the fact that the world has never seen a
Hasidic Jew rocking payos side-locks and the mike with
equal devotion. Youth, his major-label debut, arrives amid
numerous high-profile slots at reggae festivals and a cameo on
P.O.D.'s recent track "Roots in Stereo."

Much of the time, Matisyahu sounds like the former
Phish-following high school dropout from White Plains, New York,
that he is. His voice is nimble but reedy, his choruses generally
given over to starchy platitudes like "You can't sew a stitch with
one hand while you're taking it apart." … [T]he most exceptional
thing about Matisyahu remains the most circumstantial.

Funny. Rolling Stone's take is basically what I wrote last week. Matisyahu pimps the image, and Chabad pimps Matisyahu.

March 02, 2006

I've basically avoided the whole Matisyahu issue. But Rolling Stone has an interesting piece on Chabad's very own Rasta. It opens this way:

Walking home recently from morning prayers, Matisyahu -- the
Hasidic reggae MC -- got a call from his manager: Madonna wanted to
invite him over for Passover Seder. A follower of the Jewish
mystical tradition Kabbalah, Madonna promised to follow all the
strictures of Matisyahu's faith, but he remained suspicious. "I
don't know if I can go," he says. "I'll have to check it out with,
like, multiple people, to make sure it's kosher."

And who exactly is Matisyahu?

It's a world away from Bend, Oregon, where Miller got his start.
After he struggled with drugs and dropped out of high school to
follow Phish, his parents sent him to a hippie-ish drug-treatment
center where teens go on "vision quests" in the woods. He started
beatboxing and singing at coffeehouses as MC Truth, alongside a
dreadlocked friend, MC Mystic, playing Rick James covers and reggae
classics. "He was a cool guy, a total stoner," says Rob Ainsworth,
who lived with Miller in Oregon. "He was a little burnt out, but
music was incredibly important to him. You could tell he was
talented."

Sitting down to sip soup at a kosher restaurant, Matisyahu
recalls his shows as MC Truth. "It was wild," he says. "We would
drink a big pitcher of mushroom tea, and I'd come out with a turban
on my head and a huge Israeli flag, and we'd walk around throwing
sage on people."

So here's my two cents worth: Matisyahu trades on the current Kabbala craze and Chabad mysticism. A large part of his fame is based on that, not on talent. This does not mean he is not talented. It simply means in a business flooded with talent, you need extraordinary good luck and a great hook to end up on top. Mattisyahu's hook – and a significant portion of his early promotion, media, and PR – is Chabad.

On the other hand, Chabad gains greatly by promoting Matisyahu. It helps them raise money. It buys them a hip image. And it brings in new recruits. But is it kosher?

As someone who once (stupidly) turned down the opportunity to work on my own songs with a producer at Prince's studios, I have some understanding of the business. And I also have some knowledge of the interface between it and halakha.

What Matisyahu does is unseemly. Few, if any, significant poskim (rabbinic legal scholars who rule on halakha, Jewish law) would approve. But what bothers me more is blatant trading on Kabbala and Hasidut to make money. that this does not bother mainstream Chabad may be because this is what mainstream Chabad has itself done for years.

I also know of other, far more talented, musicians who were given rabbinic advice that effectively destroyed their careers. Some of that advice came directly from the Rebbe. People work in camera stores today or paint signs, in large part because they were not allowed to do the things that Matisyahu now does (with much less talent) to great acclaim. It is this that bothers me far more than Matisyahu's newbie ignorance of parts of halakha, his naive understanding of Judaism, and his pandering.

Failed messiah was established and run in 2004 by Mr. Shmarya (Scott)Rosenberg. The site was acquired by Diversified Holdings, Feb 2016. .We thank Mr. Rosenberg for his efforts on behalf of the Jewish Community.

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